Hazelhurst Nursing Home

What families say

Families often mention how staff balance professional care with personal warmth. There's a structured programme of weekly activities that residents actually want to join in with, and the team puts real thought into making sure everyone can participate in their own way. The atmosphere feels respectful but relaxed.

Based on 11 Google reviews · 0 reviews on carehome.co.uk · most recent 2026-04-10

The eight family priority themes

• Staff warmth72
• Compassion & dignity72
• Cleanliness65
• Activities & engagement85
• Food quality65
• Healthcare85
• Management & leadership72
• Resident happiness75

What inspectors found

Inspected 2020-02-25 · Report published 2020-02-25 · Inspected 1 times in the last three years

• Is this home safe?

  Good

  {"found":"The Safe domain was rated Good at the December 2019 inspection. A Good rating in this domain means inspectors were satisfied that risks were managed, medicines were handled correctly, and staffing was sufficient to keep people safe. The home supports people with nursing needs, dementia, and physical disabilities, all of which require careful risk management. No specific concerns were recorded in the published summary.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good Safe rating means the inspectors did not find gaps that worried them, which is the baseline you should expect for any home you consider. However, the published findings do not confirm specific details such as night staffing numbers or how often agency staff are used, and both of those things matter significantly for your parent's safety and consistency of care. Good Practice research consistently finds that night staffing is where safety slips in care homes, particularly for people with dementia who may be more unsettled or at risk of falls after dark. Because this inspection is from 2019, it is especially important to ask the current manager directly about staffing arrangements now rather than relying on what was true five years ago.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett University rapid evidence review found that agency staff reliance is one of the most consistent predictors of care quality problems, particularly for people with dementia who rely on familiar faces and consistent routines to feel safe.","watch_out":"Ask the manager to show you the actual staffing rota for the past two weeks. Count how many shifts were covered by permanent staff versus agency workers, and ask specifically how many carers and nurses are rostered after 10pm on the dementia unit."}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Outstanding

  {"found":"The Effective domain was rated Outstanding, the highest possible rating. This means inspectors found evidence that staff go significantly beyond basic compliance in how they understand and meet each person's health and care needs. For a nursing home supporting people with dementia and physical disabilities, an Outstanding Effective rating requires strong training, detailed and genuinely used care plans, reliable healthcare access, and good nutritional support. The registered manager and nominated individual are named in the report, indicating clear accountability for the quality of care delivered.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"An Outstanding Effective rating is the finding that should give you the most confidence in this home. Our Good Practice evidence base, drawn from 61 studies, identifies care planning as a living document process, meaning plans that are reviewed regularly and actually used to guide daily care, as one of the strongest markers of quality for people with dementia. The fact that inspectors awarded Outstanding here suggests the team does more than file paperwork. Healthcare access, including GP involvement and medication management, is grouped under this domain, and an Outstanding rating implies inspectors were satisfied on both counts. What the published report cannot tell you is whether your parent's specific health needs, whether that is a particular condition, dietary requirement, or communication style, would be well understood by this team, so that is worth exploring directly.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that homes rated Outstanding in Effective care are significantly more likely to treat care plans as working tools, reviewed with families and updated after any health change, rather than static documents completed at admission.","watch_out":"Ask the manager how often care plans are formally reviewed and whether families are invited to contribute. Then ask for a specific example of a time when a resident's care plan was changed in response to feedback from a family member."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Good

  {"found":"The Caring domain was rated Good at the December 2019 inspection. A Good rating in this domain means inspectors were satisfied that staff treated people with dignity and respect and that residents felt supported rather than processed. The home supports people with dementia and physical disabilities, where non-verbal communication and knowing each person individually matters as much as clinical skill. The published summary does not include specific observations or quotes from residents or relatives about day-to-day interactions.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Staff warmth is the single biggest driver of family satisfaction in our review data, mentioned in 57.3% of positive reviews by name. Compassion and dignity follow closely at 55.2%. A Good Caring rating tells you inspectors were satisfied, but the absence of specific quotes or observations in the published text means you cannot verify from this report alone what kind of warmth your parent would actually experience. Good Practice research is clear that for people with dementia, non-verbal communication, tone of voice, unhurried pace, and the use of preferred names, matters as much as or more than verbal interaction. When you visit, watch how staff speak to your parent's potential neighbours in corridors and communal areas, not just in formal settings.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research rapid evidence review found that person-led care for people with dementia depends on staff knowing each individual's history, preferences, and communication style. Homes where staff can describe a resident's life before care without checking a file consistently score higher on family satisfaction.","watch_out":"During your visit, introduce yourself to two or three members of staff and ask them to tell you something specific about one of the people they support, something that is not medical, such as a hobby, a favourite food, or something that makes that person laugh. The quality of those answers will tell you more than any document."}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Outstanding

  {"found":"The Responsive domain was rated Outstanding, one of only two Outstanding ratings in this inspection. For a home that cares for people with dementia and physical disabilities, this rating requires inspectors to find that the home tailors its response to individual needs rather than offering a standard programme. Outstanding Responsive care typically includes evidence of meaningful one-to-one activities, flexible routines, and genuine attention to what each person enjoys and values. The published summary does not reproduce specific examples, but the rating itself is a strong signal.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"An Outstanding Responsive rating is the second finding that should stand out to you. Activities and engagement account for 21.4% of positive family reviews in our data, and resident happiness accounts for 27.1%. A home that inspectors rated Outstanding here is one where the team has gone beyond putting up a weekly activities board and thought about what actually matters to each person who lives there. Good Practice evidence highlights Montessori-based approaches and the use of everyday household tasks as particularly effective for people with dementia, because they provide a sense of purpose and continuity with life before care. The key question is whether that approach extends to your parent's specific interests and abilities, including if they reach a stage where they cannot join group sessions.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review identified that individualised activity provision, including one-to-one engagement for people who cannot participate in groups, is strongly associated with reduced agitation, better mood, and higher family satisfaction in dementia care settings.","watch_out":"Ask the activities coordinator or manager to describe what happened last Tuesday for a resident who cannot join group sessions. If they can give you a specific, unprompted answer about one-to-one engagement for that person, the Outstanding rating is likely still being earned in practice."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Good

  {"found":"The Well-led domain was rated Good at the December 2019 inspection. A Good rating here means inspectors were satisfied that the home had clear leadership, a positive culture, and systems in place to monitor and improve quality. The registered manager is named as Ms Charlotte Lucy Whittington, and the nominated individual is Ms Karen Anne Rogers. The home is run by Herefordshire Care Homes Limited. Governance and accountability arrangements were sufficient to meet the Good threshold, though the published summary does not record specific examples of how the leadership team responds to concerns or drives improvement.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Management quality accounts for 23.4% of positive family reviews in our data, and communication with families accounts for a further 11.5%. A Good Well-led rating tells you there was no leadership failure at the time of inspection, but it does not tell you how open and accessible the manager is in practice, or how quickly families are kept informed when something changes. Good Practice research is clear that leadership stability is one of the strongest predictors of care quality over time. Given that this inspection is from 2019, the most important question is whether the same manager is still in post. If there has been a change in leadership since then, ask how long the current manager has been in place and what has changed under their tenure.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research rapid evidence review found that homes with stable, tenured management consistently outperform those with frequent leadership changes, particularly in maintaining care quality for people with dementia where relational continuity across all levels of staffing matters most.","watch_out":"Before or during your visit, ask whether Ms Charlotte Lucy Whittington is still the registered manager. If not, ask how long the current manager has been in post and whether you can meet them in person during your visit. A manager who is present, unhurried, and able to talk about specific residents (without naming them) is a good sign."}

  Verified by inspector

Source: CQC inspection report →

What the evidence base says

Against the DCC Good Practice in Dementia Care standards, this home’s evidence aligns most strongly on Hazelhurst specialises in dementia care alongside support for physical disabilities, caring for adults both under and over 65. The team's experience shows in how they handle the specific challenges of dementia with patience and understanding.. Gaps or open questions remain on Staff here seem to grasp what makes each person with dementia tick — their individual triggers, comforts and ways of communicating. Families have noticed how this personalised approach helps residents stay calmer and more engaged with daily life. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.